The Second Commandment

As the first commandment instructed the heart and taught faith, so this commandment leads us into the outer sphere and trains our lips and tongue Godward. For words are the first issue and revelation of the heart. As I taught above that you must comprehend what it is to have a god, so you must learn to grasp in a simple way the meaning of this commandment, as of all others, and to answer accordingly. If asked, How do you understand the second commandment and what is meant by taking God's name in vain? answer in the briefest way: It is a misuse of God's name if we call upon the Lord God in any way to support falsehood or wrong doing. Therefore, it commands that we are not to mention God's name falsely or so take it upon our lips when the heart knows or should know the deception; as those who take an oath before the court of justice when one side bears false witness against the other. In no way can God's name be more abused than in lying and deceiving by it. Let this be the simplest German meaning of this commandment.

Now, with this knowledge, each one can easily decide for himself when and how God's name is abused, although it is impossible to name all its misuses. In general, a wrong use is seen in the first place in worldly business and in things relating to money, possessions and honor, be it publicly before the courts of justice, at the market or elsewhere, whenever men swear or make false oath by an appeal to God's name or their own souls to support their statements. A common illustration is found in matrimonial affairs when two secretly betroth themselves to one another, and afterward with an oath deny the affiance. But its greatest abuse, an offense against the conscience, is found in spiritual matters when false preachers arise and present their untruthful teachings as the Word of God.

Notice, all these are expedients to use the name of God as a veneer in order to appear attractive and commendable, whether in ordinary worldly business or in the high and subtle matters of faith and doctrine. And with liars belong also blasphemers; not only the coarse and rude ones, well known to everybody, who without fear dishonor God's name (they should be in the hangman's school rather than in ours), but also those who publicly blaspheme the truth of God's Word, and say it is Satan's word. To speak further of this there is no need.

Let us here learn and take heed how much depends upon this commandment, and with all diligence guard against and avoid every misuse of the holy name as the greatest sin that can be publicly committed. Lying and deceiving are in themselves gross sins; but they become greatly aggravated when men, wishing still to justify them, invoke God's name in confirmation, and when they use it as a cloak to cover their shame, and from a single lie, a double, yea, manifold lies, result.

Because of the importance of this commandment, God has attached to it a solemn threat in the words, "For Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain," Ex 20, 7; Deut 5, 11. This means that in the case of no one shall its violation be overlooked, or pass unpunished. Just as God will avenge himself if one turns his heart from him, so too he will not suffer his name to be used to adorn a lie. It is, also, a calamity common in all the world that there are few who do not use God's name in falsehood and all kinds of wickedness. So few are they who in their hearts trust in God alone.

We all naturally possess this beautiful virtue: He who has committed a wrong would gladly cover up and disguise his disgrace, that it might come to no one's sight or knowledge. No one is so bold as to boast before the whole world of the wickedness he has committed. All men would rather work their wickedness secretly than let anyone find it out. Then, when they are arraigned, God must give his name and make the rascality appear as an act of righteousness and the disgrace as honorable conduct. This is the universal way of the world. Like a great deluge, the practice has flooded all lands, therefore we have our reward, which we seek and merit: pestilence, wars, famines, fires, floods, faithless wives, spoiled children, worthless servants and all kinds of evil. From what other source should such dire misery spring? It is a great mercy that the earth still bears and nourishes us.

We should, then, above all things faithfully train and accustom the young people to sacredly regard this and the first commandment. If they transgress, the rod must at once be used and the commandment constantly held before them and impressed upon them; then they will be reared, not only in discipline, but also in the fear and reverence of God.

You understand now what it means to take God's name in vain. To repeat quite briefly, it is either simply to lie, and to publish under pretext of God's name something without warrant of fact, or to curse, swear, conjure, and, in short, practice wickedness in any way. Besides this you must also know how to use God's name aright, for in the words, "Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain," God at the same time gives us to understand that we are to take his name in the right sense. It has been revealed and given to us for constant use and profit. Therefore, since it is here forbidden to use this holy name in the service of falsehood and wickedness, it necessarily follows that we are, on the other hand, commanded to use it in the service of truth and everything that is good; as, for example, when one swears to the truth wherever needed and demanded. Likewise, when we teach the truth aright; when we invoke it in trouble or use it in praise and thanksgiving for prosperity, etc. All this is summed up in the command in Ps 50, 15: "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." In all these ways, God's name is used in the service of truth and unto salvation, and is thus hallowed, as we pray in the Lord's Prayer.

Now you have the substance of the commandment explained. Thereby is solved the question that has troubled many teachers, why swearing is forbidden in the Gospel, Mt 5, 33-34, and yet Christ and Paul and other saints often swore, Jn 14, 12; 16, 20 and 23; 2 Cor 1, 23. The explanation is briefly this: We are not to swear in support of evil, that is, to a falsehood, or unnecessarily; but we are to swear in support of the good, and for the welfare of our neighbor. For that is a truly good work by which God is praised and truth and justice established; by which falsehood is refuted, peace restored, obedience enforced and contentions suppressed. God himself interposes and decides between right and wrong, good and evil. If one party to a dispute swears falsely, he has his sentence in the fact that he cannot escape punishment. Although it be long deferred, he shall not prosper; all he gains thereby shall slip out of his hands and never be enjoyed. I have seen in the case of many who have repudiated their marriage vows that afterward they never had a happy hour or a healthy day, and thus they miserably perished, body and soul, and their possessions also.

Therefore, I advise and exhort, as I have before, that children be trained by means of warning and terror, restraint and punishment, to shun falsehood, and especially not to use God's name to confirm it. For if they are left without such restraint, no good will result. It is evident that the world is now more wicked than it has ever been. There is no government, no obedience, no fidelity, no faith; only presumptuous, ungovernable people, whom no teaching or reproof can help—all of which is simply God's wrath and punishment for wilful contempt of this commandment.

On the other hand, children should be urged and induced to honor God's Word and to have it always upon their lips in all circumstances and experiences. For true honor to God's name consists in looking to it for all consolation and therefore calling upon it; so that the mouth with its confession follows in the wake of the heart, glorifying God by faith, as we have seen above.

This is also a blessed and helpful practice, and very effective in resisting the devil, who is ever round about us, waiting for an occasion to lead us into sin and shame, misery and want. He hears God's name very unwillingly and cannot remain long where it is invoked from the heart. Many a terrible and shocking calamity would befall us if God did not preserve us because we call upon his name. I have tried it myself and have well learned by experience the lesson that often sudden great calamity was immediately averted and removed during such invocation. In order to vex and conquer Satan, I say, we should constantly have this holy name in our mouths, so that he cannot injure us, as he is so eager to do.

Of service to us in this respect is also the practice of commending ourselves each day to God, soul and body, wife, children, servants and whatever we have, for his protection against every unexpected need and calamity. Thus has originated and continued among us the custom of saying grace and returning thanks at meals, and other prayers for both morning and evening. From the same source came the practice with children of crossing themselves in sight or hearing of terrifying occurrences and exclaiming: Lord God, save us! Help, dear Lord Jesus! and like utterances. So, again, when we unexpectedly experience something good, however trivial it may be, we say: God be praised and thanked. This God has bestowed upon me! and similar expressions. Formerly the children were reared in the custom of fasting and praying to St. Nicholas and other saints. The other practices would be more pleasing and acceptable to God than all monasticism and Carthusian sanctity.

Thus we might train the youth by appropriate, and all but playful, methods to fear and honor God, and the first and second commandments might be observed and constantly practiced. Then some good might remain with them and bear fruit; some might grow up in whom the whole land would rejoice and be blessed. This would be the proper way to rear children, to form their habits by kindness and pleasant methods. What we force into them only with rods and blows produces bad results; at the best, under such treatment they remain godly no longer than the rod lies on their backs. But under the other training, godliness is rooted in their hearts and they fear God more than they do rods and clubs. I speak thus plainly for the sake of the children, that my words may penetrate their minds; for since we are preaching to children, we must prattle with them. Thus we have warned against the abuse of the divine name and taught that the right use of it should consist, not only in manner of speech, but also in discipline and life. We would have them know that God is well pleased with the right use of his name and will reward that as richly as he will terribly punish its misuse.